[Rhodes22-list] Electric Trolling Motors

[DCLewis1 at aol.com]

John, Ed, Mike, Robert & Michael,
 
Thanks for your input re electric trolling motors as an emergency back up. 
 
John & Ed,   Perhaps I mis-communicated.  I’m not  looking for an electric 
prop, or an electric outboard (if there is such a  thing).  I’m looking to us 
the fishing trolling motors that are  commercially available.  There was some 
good info in your references,  thanks.
 
Mike, I’m not sure I followed your using the EM version of MinnKota’s  
electric tolling motor.  My concept was to mount a separate trolling motor  - only 
when needed - between the swim ladder and the rudder.  I’m not sure  the 
MinnKota mount can do that because of the lack of free space on the transom,  but 
that was the concept.  Your input re what the MinnKota could  do was useful, 
thank you.
 
Robert, I concluded you actually made it work on the Potomac, but not for  an 
R22.  My notion for a river like the Potomac is to use the motor  strictly as 
an emergency backup to get to a shore - where you may not be able to  pick 
which shore if the wind is blowing the wrong way.  At least it would  reliably 
get you and your passengers off the river.  I concluded you agreed  that it 
might work in that application - but I’m still not sure something like  the 
MinnKota would fit on the transom of the R22 - there’s so much other stuff  on the 
stern.
 
On the Chesapeake such a motor might be useful to get back into the marina,  
if you were close to the marina ( a couple of miles) and there was no  wind.  
But I can also see situations, where it wouldn’t save the day, i.e.  wind 
blowing off shore and it’s multiple miles to the other shore.
 
Michael, I fully agree with your statement “it’s a sailboat, use the sails,  
get an anchor and a Tows-R-Us card”.  But it’s common on the Chesapeake to  
have no wind in mid-summer - and when that happens motoring back is a fact of  
life.  If the motor fails and there’s no wind you’re stranded.  I’m a  
little antsy about Tows-R-Us in terms of needing them, waiting for them, etc  
-maybe it’s because I haven’t used their service to date.  
 
But I guess the real issue is that no one appears to have tried it on a  
Rhodes 22.  It sounds like a no-power/low-power solution that might, or  might 
not, be useful in some situations - particularly no wind situations, but  I’m 
still not sure it can fit on the transom and that it won’t chew up the  rudder. 
 
Another approach might be to get a small backup OB, maybe 2 to 4 HP   
2-stroke - but as with the trolling motor, I’m not sure it would fit on the  transom 
given all the other stuff that’s there.
 
Maybe it’s because I’m new at this, but it seems to me that on the  
Chesapeake your OB is more than a back up to the sails - it’s what brings you  home 
when the the wind dies.  And I just feel a little vulnerable with no  backup 
system for my ‘89 Yamaha. 
 
Thank you all for your inputs.   I may have to get my hands on a  trolling 
motor and make some mounting measurements.
 
Dave